Tulare County Animal Services is BUSTING AT THE SEAMS with dogs and puppies! Our kennels are all full, with pop-up crates set up in hallways, and we are at a loss for how to make room for the many animals coming through the door each day.
For a limited time through December 23rd (or until funding runs out), ALL dogs and puppies are available for adoption for only $20! This fee includes microchip, spay/neuter, and vaccines. We also provide appointments for follow up parvo/distemper vaccines for puppies adopted from us for $10 each. An $8 dog licensing fee applies to all residents who live in the unincorporated areas of Tulare County.
We are open for adoptions Monday - Saturday from 10 am - 4pm. Appointments are encouraged but are not required. If you have any questions please call us at (559) 636-4050 x 0.
Through Amazon Smile, Friends of Tulare County receives a portion of each purchase. Tulare County Animal Services has identified items utilized within the Shelter on a daily basis to provide a higher level of care to the animals under our care and custody.
Please click here for Tulare County Animal Services “Wish List” on Amazon Smile
Donations are always welcome and greatly appreciated! Our "wish list" items are:
Click here to print a pdf version of the Wish List.
Tulare County Animal Services Division places hundreds of shelter animals in new homes with adopters who are looking for a fantastic pet. The animal adoptions program is spearheaded by staff and volunteers who coordinate adoption events, sponsorships, and volunteer assistance. The adoptions program includes finding foster parents who are able to temporarily care for shelter animals at their homes, giving animals time to grow, socialize, and receive personalized attention and care in a family environment before going to their “forever home.” Moms with litters have a chance to raise their puppies and kittens away from a shelter setting, enabling them to have more contact with people, children, and other animals.
The Animal Adoption Fund offsets the costs of adoption, including spay/neuter expenses, vaccinations, microchips, and dog licensing, by sponsoring either the full or partial adoption costs. This is especially helpful with the hard-to-place animals, older animals, those needing special medical treatment, and those needing extra help finding a permanent home. Animal Services holds special adoption events throughout the year to promote adoptions and pet ownership.
Animal Services has the following responsibilities: Maintaining the health and safety of the animals in their care and custody; overseeing the dog licensing program for county residents; providing outreach and education services; and responding to public complaints, reports of vicious animals, dog bites, and animal neglect cases. Animal Services’ primary goal is to find new homes for shelter animals through adoptions, foster parents, and rescue groups.
The Animal Services General Fund is used for purchasing educational materials; covering expenses associated with providing low-cost vaccination and microchip clinics to the county’s rural communities; purchasing general supplies to improve the animals’ health; transporting animals to rescue organizations; and for various other items to enhance the program’s education and outreach efforts.
Tulare County is a large county with pets in many households. For some people, accessing veterinary care or having their animals spayed or neutered and vaccinated can be difficult to afford. The Animal Services Spay/Neuter Fund provides reduced-cost spay/neuter vouchers. It also brings mobile spay/neuter clinics to small communities with no access to veterinary care and facilitates a trap, neuter, and release (TNR) program for community cats.
Tulare County Animal Services has a limited number of spay and neuter appointments for cats. To sign-up for an appointment, click the link below. Once you have registered your pet, you will receive further instructions and a link to our Surgery Consent form via email. If you have any questions please call us at (559) 636-4050 x 0. If the calendar is not showing any available appointments, please check back later.
If you are unable to make your scheduled appointment, please call the shelter at (559) 636-4050 x 0 or email tcanimalservices@tularecounty.ca.gov at least 24 hours prior to your scheduled appointment. Tulare County Animal Services reserves the right to refuse appointment requests for anyone who has missed an appointment. Thank you for your understanding.
You can sign up to take one of our amazing dogs out for the day and go out on an adventure! Our wonderful dogs could use a break from the shelter and as a participant there is no longer term commitment. If you are 18 years of age or older you can sign up and bring your friends or family along for the journey. Dogs are checked out Tuesday - Saturday from 9 am - 10 am depending on the time you sign up, then just bring the dog back by 2 pm that same day. We send you with all the gear you will need for your adventure together, just take a few photos and let us know how they did! You can help us promote and find homes for our amazing dogs.
Follow the link below to sign up for a date and time to pick up a dog!
Tulare County Animal Services (TCAS) now has their Stray Animal Form online. By completing this form, the information will be emailed to the shelter and this will eliminate the need to fill out paperwork once you arrive at the shelter. TCAS accepts stray dogs and livestock, as well as sick and injured cats from the unincorporated areas of Tulare County only. We do not accept healthy cats for intake but please ask about our trap, neuter, and return programs for community or feral cats.
For the Stray Animal Form and more information on shelter hours please click here.
If you are wanting to have a stray animal picked up instead of bringing the animal in, please click here for the Animal Complaints page.
Tulare County Animal Services provides dog licensing services for all of the unincorporated areas of Tulare County. If your dog gets lost, a valid license will identify the dog and his/her owner and allow us to reunite lost pets with their owners. Having your dog licensed also shows that your dog has a current rabies vaccination. Plus, dog licensing is the law.
To make the process easier, Tulare County Animal Services is now accepting online payments for dog licensing. Both new and renewal dog licensing can be done online along with updating information on your dog.
If you are not sure if your address is in the city limits or county please click on the Tulare County Elections website and enter your address. If you live within the city limits of Dinuba, Exeter, Farmersville, Lindsay, Porterville, Tulare, Visalia or Woodlake, please contact your city's local dog licensing department.
Losing a pet is a heart-wrenching situation, but there are ways to give yourself peace of mind. Dogs and cats should wear collars with identification tags; however, collars can fall off or be removed, and animals can get lost without any visible form of ID. A microchip is one of the best ways to protect your dog or cat if the pet gets lost. This tiny chip, about the size of a grain of rice that’s implanted under the skin at the shoulder blades, cannot be lost, worn out, or removed.
If your pet ever gets lost and is taken to an animal shelter or a veterinary clinic, they will scan the animal to see if he or she is microchipped. If so, the identification number appears and you can be found in a database, because the number is linked to your information.
It’s just as important to keep your contact information up to date with the microchip company. Many times animals come into shelters with microchips; however, their owner's contact information is not always current and the animal must wait to be reunited.
Animal Services provides microchipping for only $20 by appointment only during our regular business hours. We accept cash, checks, and credit cards. Please clink on one of the links below to download the Microchip Owner Information page and bring this completed form with you to the shelter. Once your animal is microchipped, Animal Services will send the information to the microchip company to register your new microchip.
Are you a cat person?
Do you love spending time with cats and kittens? Would you like to take care of and play with them on a part-time basis?
Tulare County Animal Services is seeking volunteers to assist in making sure our cats are happy and healthy at the PetSmart Adoption Centers in Visalia and Porterville!
We need dedicated people to tend to the cats daily--make sure they all have food and water, clean their cages and litter boxes, and socialize (play!) with them. It usually only takes about an hour at most (but you can play with our friendly felines as long as you'd like!). We have morning shifts (sometime between 8am & 10am) and late afternoon/early evening shifts (sometime between 4pm & 6pm).
If interested, please contact us at (559) 636-4050 and/or fill out a volunteer application. It is available online, and you can return it electronically, by fax (559) 749-9815 (new fax number July 2023), by mail, or stop by the shelter at 14131 Ave. 256 (just east of Lovers Lane) in Visalia. The kitties look forward to seeing you!
